December Daily

January 03, 2017

Posting for my December Daily even though I am clearly done with December! Why, because I sometimes use this space, here on my blog, to keep track of those stories that best describe my life at any given moment. That was so very true of my life in December. I had no time to decorate at home, but in the shop I was able to dress it up so that it screamed Christmas. Alright, there was no screaming, but I felt like screaming! I was so excited to introduce our customers to the “Village Quilter Tree Farm!” I was thrilled to try and guess who had created which trees. I may have been the only one excited by this but that’s okay, it looked pretty and added to the charm of the shop during the month of December!

December 24, 2016

Trying to make some sense of the fabrics I bought to make holiday gifts. In hindsight, I could have saved myself some time just by putting the fabric right in a box. Today I know, there will be no sewing for this holiday. I had every good intention, but I have given into fatigue by napping nearly every day. No regrets, no preconceived notion of what this holiday will look like. Staying in the moment and feeling the joy!

December 20, 2016

Mark’s writing group had their Christmas Party at a local restaurant that we had not yet visited. I am usually hesitant to commit to an event on a school evening but this was just what we needed. The food was delicious and we spent the best part of the evening getting to know some really awesome people. I was so happy we decided to hang out and celebrate the holidays with friends. With managing the shop and still teaching, it would be very easy to just limit social activities, but I find that taking the time for these types of evenings really keeps me grounded. It is so important to delight in the gifts of the season, one of those gifts being the company of friends!

December 15, 2016

Jessica’s first Christmas, 1987, and Jason’s third Christmas. Every year as I prepare to decorate the house, I am bombarded by memories of earlier Christmas’ spent with my children. I hold onto momentos as I hold onto memories that warm my heart. Of course, Jason and Jessica are now fully grown and they would probably not remember much from this day. But I remember much! So grateful for these two and the memories I have of their childhood!

December 12, 2016

Christmas music, one of my most favorite things about the season. Earlier this month we took my mom to see Manheim Steamroller for her birthday, of course I enjoyed it also! I have a cd container filled completely with Christmas cd’s. Just before Thanksgiving, my cd player broke. Mark volunteered to put all of my Christmas music on our home server so that I can access it at any time. Until that is complete, he set up a couple of speakers in the dining room so that I can listen to my cd’s through my computer. He is particularly fussy about when I start playing Christmas music so heaven forbid I miss a day here or there. Right now, just happy to sing along and smile at the memories inspired by each song.

December 07, 2016

Balance. A Monday, back in school, reminds me that the best thing I can offer myself this holiday season is balance. My weekdays take me from school to the shop and then home. I realize that the house will get decorated and we will be ready for Christmas all in good time.

December 06, 2016

There are no rewards for constantly being “too” busy. Every year my husband sends off this advent calendar to anyone and everyone he thinks might enjoy its simple message of joy during the holiday season. I have always feigned busy-ness and asked him not to include me. This year he ignored me. In my inbox I received my first ever copy of the Jacqie Lawson Advent Calendar. The seaside theme. I am delighted to sit each evening and explore the simplicity of a holiday from long ago. Oh how happy I am that I have made the choice of embracing the season. I am busy, always, that’s not going to change. What is changing, my willingness to postpone some of that busy-ness for the joy of the season. I am off to work on my little village!

December 05, 2016

Making room for joy and saying yes whenever possible brought us to the Academy of Music for the Mannheim Steamroller concert. We started the evening with dinner locally and then drove into Philly for the concert. It was such a great evening. So glad I pushed myself to make this evening happen.

December 03, 2016

Santa Claus arrived in Mt. Holly this evening just in time to light the Christmas Tree! The evening was truly magical. At the shop we had our first Friday of the month UFO night so the classroom was full. I was looking forward to spending some quality time with our UFO group. I even planned on sewing! In the end my obligation to the evening was being a Santa handler, keeping an eye on the little ones as they met with Santa to share their Christmas lists and to get a photo or two. I did manage to sew and share a few laughs with the UFO ladies. The story of today includes new traditions and an honest effort to experience the magic and wonder of the season. Let’s get our twinkle on!

December 02, 2016

Each December 1st we receive a very special gift from Mark’s sister Karen and her husband Chuck. It is one of my very favorite parts of early December. I am being flexible in my expectations for the holiday this year. For the first time in many years, I have not started to decorate for the holidays and I am okay with that! Now that I own the quilt shop my time is split and I find myself prioritizing by what needs to happen first in order for us to stay on top of our commitments. This is also the first time in many years that my plan for my December Daily is not fully formulated. That is another thing I am being really low key about. I love this time of year, I am going to enjoy it by placing my focus on what is most important. I am seriously so happy to welcome December into our home!